Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Police officer denies charges in fatal shooting of black man

Chris Kaba was struck by a single gunshot fired into the vehicle he was driving in the Streatham area of south London

Police officer denies charges in fatal shooting of black man
Chris Kaba was killed in Streatham, south London

A UK POLICE officer went on trial last Wednesday (2), charged with the murder of a black man in London two years ago.

Firearms officer Martyn Blake, 40, denied the charge of murdering Chris Kaba, 24, who was shot in the head on September 5, 2022.


Prosecutors told the Old Bailey that the shooting was “not reasonably justified or justifiable.”

Kaba was struck by a single gunshot fired into the vehicle he was driving in the Streatham area of south London. His car, linked to a firearms incident the previous day, was being followed by police and forced to a stop.

The jury heard that Kaba was trying to drive away from police when the incident occurred. However, the prosecution argued that there was “no real or immediate threat to the life of anybody present at the scene.”

“There can be no doubt you may think that the defendant must have intended to incapacitate the driver of the vehicle... He shot him once straight to the head,” said prosecution lawyer Tom Little.

“He was trained to use a firearm and, if necessary, to shoot knowing that almost inevitably death would follow, and that is what he did.”

A fellow firearms officer, who raised his gun at the same time as Blake, told the jury he feared for his life and believed he was about to be run over.

The officer, identified as DS87, testified: “I have got no doubt in my mind, given a moment longer, the Audi would have come forward and I would have gone under.”

When asked what he thought as his colleague opened fire, DS87 said: “I felt in fear for my life. Had the actions not been taken at that point, I would have died or been injured.”

Police in England, Scotland, and Wales are not routinely armed, with only a small proportion authorised to carry firearms.

Police prosecutions are rare, and when London police announced Blake was being charged last year, dozens of his colleagues stepped back from firearm duties in protest.

The trial continues.

More For You

Nepal’s new leader pledges to act on Gen Z calls to end corruption

Officials greet newly-elected Prime Minister of Nepal's interim government Sushila Karki (R) as she arrives at the prime minister's office in Kathmandu on September 14, 2025. (Photo by PRABIN RANABHAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Nepal’s new leader pledges to act on Gen Z calls to end corruption

NEPAL’s new interim prime minister Sushila Karki on Sunday (14) pledged to act on protesters’ calls to end corruption and restore trust in government, as the country struggles with the aftermath of its worst political unrest in decades.

“We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation,” Karki said in her first address to the nation since taking office on Friday (12). “What this group is demanding is the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality. We will not stay here more than six months in any situation. We will complete our responsibilities and hand over to the next parliament and ministers.”

Keep ReadingShow less
UK secures £1.25bn US investment ahead of Trump’s visit

US president Donald Trump and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer arrive at Trump International Golf Links on July 28, 2025 in Balmedie, Scotland. (Photo by Jane Barlow-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

UK secures £1.25bn US investment ahead of Trump’s visit

THE British government has announced over £1.25 billion ($1.69bn) in fresh investment from major US financial firms, including PayPal, Bank of America, Citigroup and S&P Global, ahead of a state visit by president Donald Trump.

The investment is expected to create 1,800 jobs across London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Manchester, and deepen transatlantic financial ties, the Department for Business and Trade said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nearly 150,000 join anti-migrant protest in London as clashes erupt

Protesters wave Union Jack and St George's England flags during the "Unite The Kingdom" rally on Westminster Bridge by the Houses of Parliament on September 13, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Nearly 150,000 join anti-migrant protest in London as clashes erupt

MORE THAN 100,000 protesters marched through central London on Saturday (13), carrying flags of England and Britain and scuffling with police in one of the UK's biggest right-wing demonstrations of modern times.

London's Metropolitan Police said the "Unite the Kingdom" march, organised by anti-immigrant activist Tommy Robinson, was attended by nearly 150,000 people, who were kept apart from a "Stand Up to Racism" counter-protest attended by around 5,000.

Keep ReadingShow less
Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal recalled that in February, Narendra Modi and Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Trade talks with US moving forward positively, says Indian minister Goyal

INDIA’s commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that negotiations on the proposed trade agreement between India and the United States, which began in March, are progressing in a positive atmosphere and both sides are satisfied with the discussions.

He recalled that in February, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
West Midlands Police

West Midlands Police said they were called just before 08:30 BST on Tuesday, September 9, after the woman reported being attacked by two men near Tame Road. (Representational image: iStock)

Woman raped in racially aggravated attack in Oldbury

A WOMAN in her 20s was raped in Oldbury in what police are treating as a racially aggravated attack.

West Midlands Police said they were called just before 08:30 BST on Tuesday, September 9, after the woman reported being attacked by two men near Tame Road. Officers said the men made a racist remark during the incident.

Keep ReadingShow less